THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 12, 1995 TAG: 9501100145
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS
SOURCE: MIKE KNEPLER
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
Maybe 1995 will go down as the Year of the Citizen.
Officially, there's no such title. But a few new programs have potential to make this a bumper year for citizen participation.
A board headed by former Mayor Joe Leafe seeks to launch a leadership training program for a diverse range of neighborhood folks and businessmen.
``The idea is to develop leadership in a broader way,'' Leafe said. ``It needs to cover the diversity of our city, geographically, racially and gender-wise.''
As society changes, ways to cultivate leadership must keep pace, even get ahead. For example, government cutbacks may mean greater roles for civic groups.
Training would cover local issues and availability of public and private resources. Skills for community problem solving would be emphasized, Leafe said.
An important feature would be having a mix of participants from many neighborhoods, income groups and races.
Ideally, participants not only would learn issues and problem-solving skills but also better appreciate each other. ``You would hope that would come about by having the interaction,'' Leafe said.
Program graduates can satisfy several Norfolk needs, and perhaps also help the region, Leafe said.
For example, they can be a pool for city commissions, for non-profit boards and for providing effective neighborhood leadership.
Important note: While the group is headed by an ex-mayor - and includes former U.S. Rep. Bill Whitehurst - the program will not be a school to groom politicians. Nor will it advocate any particular stance on issues, Leafe said.
The Norfolk Foundation is funding the start-up effort. Besides Leafe and Whitehurst, the board includes Mary Louis Campbell of the Planning Council, Ulysses Turner of the School Board, former-councilman John Foster, Don Williams of the Planning Commission, Hank Wolf of Norfolk Southern, Josh Darden, a longtime business leader, and Frank Batten Jr., publisher of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star.
Many details remain to be worked out. They include how training will be offered and whether it will be open only to Norfolk residents or regionwide. Also, the Chamber of Commerce already has a leadership program, so there's discussion about coordinating the two efforts.
In any event, leadership training that's available to all of Norfolk is long overdue.
``Norfolk and the region are not the same today as they were 20 years ago. There is a need for different types of leadership and broader involvement in the type of consensus building that will be needed to take the city forward,'' Leafe said. ``It's all dynamic and things change as you go along.
``But one thing we know for sure: If you don't get in and do something about what concerns you, nothing will happen.''
Citizen workshops & more. Mayor Paul Fraim, with help of civic league coalitions, will launch three outreach efforts in February.
Quarterly workshops to help neighborhood groups and local government work better with each other. Department heads and staff will conduct the forums, which will feature a question-and-answer format on city services.
Quarterly sessions among the mayor and civic league leaders to discuss city policy.
Open-door meetings with the mayor, 5-7 p.m. first Tuesday every month. This will be for individuals or small groups.
Year of the Citizen? Make it every year. by CNB